No 623

IDENTIFICATION

Nomination : Ranrmelsberg Mine and the historic centre of belonging to it

Location .

State Partv .

Date . 1 October 1991

DESCRIPTION AND HISTORY

Rammelsberg lies 1 km SE of Go&r, in the Mountains. It has been the site of for metalliferous and metal production (, , , , and ) since as early as the 3rd century BC. The first documentary mention of Rammelsberg is from the beginning of the 1 lth century. The rich deposits of silver ore there were one of the main reasons for siting an Imperial residence at the foot of the Rammelsberg mountain by the Emperor Henry II; he held his first Imperial Assembly there in 1009.

The town of Goslar grew up around the Imperial residence. The town was to play an important role in the economic operations of the and achieved great prosperity, which reached a peak around 1450. The revenues from mining, metal production, and trade financed the creation of the late medieval townscape of fortifications, churches. public buildings, and richly decorated mine-owners’ residences which distinguish the present-day town. In 1552 Rammelsberg was taken from the town of Goslar by the Duchy of Brandenburg, which managed it until 1866, when the mining area was seized by the . Mining and metallurgical operations continued there until the last mine closed in 1988.

The remains of the mining industries at Rammelsberg are outstanding by virtue of their diversity and completeness and their survival from almost every period of the region’s involvement in mining from the 10th century to the 20th century. These include: waste heaps from the 10th century and excavated remains of the installations that produced them: the St Johanniskirche (c 970); ore transportation tracks of the 12th century: the Rathstiefster tunnel or adit (c 1150): mining structures of the 13th century: the Tiefer-Julius-Fortunatus tunnel (1585); the overseer’s house of c 1700; Communion Quarry (1768): the Roeder tunnel system. including two well preserved underground water-wheels (1805): the old office building (1902); the haulage way and vertical shaft. with technical equipment ( 1905) ; the Gelenbeeker tunnel (1927); the Winkler ventilation shaft (1936); the surface plant complex of 1935-42: and mineworkers’ houses from 1878- 1950. The town of Goslar likewise preserves evidence of its growth and long identification with the mining industry, with remains from many periods. Among these are: the Imperial Palace and the Palatine chapel of St Ulrich (c 1100): the Frankenburger Church (1130); the antechurch of the former Stiftskapelle (1160), containing the 11 th century Imperial : the market place fountain (c 1200); the Frankenburg miners’ settlement (c 1500); many houses of mine-owners from the 14th to 16th centuries; and the miners’ infirmary (1537). The town was not significantly damaged in World War II and so the historic centre has survived intact, with its original medieval layout and many Gothic, Renaissance, and Baroque buildings of high quality.

AUTHENTICITY

So far as the industrial components are concerned, there is no doubt about the authenticity of what survives. In Goslar there has inevitably been alteration and reconstruction over the past ten centuries. but the great bulk of the surviving historic centre is completely authentic.

MANAGEMENT AND PROTECTION

With the ending of industrial operations on the Rammelsberg site, it was decided to develop the area as a public museum. The administration is in the hands of the Goslar municipal authorities, with financial guarantees from the Federal Republic, the Land of Lower Saxony, and Goslar District.

Both Goslar and Rammelsberg are protected by the Lower Saxony Law for the Care and Preservation of Cultural Monuments. There are management plans for both the Rammelsberg museum area and Goslar historic centre.

EVALUATION

The Rammelsberg-Goslar ensemble is one of the oldest mining and metallurgical complexes in the world. and certainly the one where industrial operations were carried out for the longest unbroken period. The Rammelsberg complex is remarkable for the wealth of industrial remains from all periods that have survived, whilst Goslar has preserved its original layout and structures virtually intact.

Comparison with other sites

A comparative study relating to the industrial heritage, jointly between ICOMOS and TICCIH. is now in progress. The importance of the Rammelsberg-Goslar complex is so great. however, that its inclusion on the World Heritage List should not be deferred pending the completion of this study.

Additional comments

It is not clear from the maps in the dossier to what extent there is a formal buffer zone around Goslar. It is fair to add, however, that most of the surrounding area is designated as protected forest and landscape and that the only corridor for development of any kind lies to the north of the town, and so the definition of a formal btier zone is superfluous.

Three ICOMOS Bureau members had personal knowledge of the site. Comments were also received from a leading scholar in the field of mining history and heritage.

ICOMOS RECOMMENDATION

That this cultural properry be included on the World Heritage List on the basis of Criteria i and iv.

- Criterion i : As the largest and longest-lived mining and metallurgical complex in the central European metal-producing region. whose role was paramount in the economy of Europe for many centuries, Rammelsberg- Go&r, like the Ironbridge Gorge (U.K.), included on the World Heritage List in 1986, can with justice be considered to be “a masterpiece of the creative genius” of man.

- Criterion iv : The extensive medieval mining and metallurgical area and the administrative and commercial settlement that grew up alongside it is a very characteristic form of urban-industrial ensemble which has its most complete and best preserved expression in Europe at Rammelsberg-Goslar.

ICOMOS, October 1992

i

i